Bicycle attachment for leading bicycles.



Patented Aug. 28. I900. W. S. MCDONALD &. J. B. DAVIS.

BICYCLE ATTACHMENT FOB LEADING BICYCLES.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

W'INFIELD SCOTT MCDONALD AND JOHN B. DAVIS, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORSOF ONE-THIRD TO JNO. F. BRINKMAN, OF TERRE IIAUTE,

INDIANA.

BICYCLE ATTACHMENT FOR LEADING BICYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,998, dated August28, 1900. Application filed July 2,1900. Serial No. 22,263. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WINFIELD SCOTT Mo- DONALD and J OHN B. DAVIS,citizens of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county ofMontgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprove ments in Bicycle Attachments; and we do doclare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Our invention relates to bicycle attachments, and comprises means forleading a bicyle in the rear of a vehicle.

The invention is especially adapted for the use of liverymen, who insending a vehicle out of the stable are required to send a man with itto deliver it and to provide street-car fare for the return of suchperson to the stable after the delivery of the vehicle. In the course oftime this expense amounts to considerable. Therefore it is the object ofthe present invention to avoid such expense by providing means foraccompanying the vehicle with a bicycle, which may be attached and ledin an upright position in the rear of such vehicle and upon which theperson delivering the vehicle may return, as will be hereinafter shownand described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rearportion of a vehicle, showing a bicycle attached thereto by means of ourimproved attachment. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the attachmentdetached from both the bicycle and the vehicle. Fig. 3 is an enlargedelevation of the attachment, showing it connected to the front fork ofthe bicycle and to the rear shaft of the vehicle. Fig. 4: is an enlargedview of one end of the attachment which connects with the vehicle-shaft.Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line :0 cc of Fig. 3.

In the specification similar reference characters indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

1 designates the front forks of the bicycle, each arm of which issurrounded by a clamp 2, which isbrazed or otherwise securely attachedto said fork near or at a point shown in Fig. 3. Each of these clamps 2has an integral screw or stem 3 projecting from its outer side.

The attachment proper comprises a fork the two arms at of which haveopenings 5 in their ends, which fit over the screws 3 and are maintainedin position by nuts 6, which screw onto said screws 3. The'fork 4 has astem 7, which is brazed to a cross-bar 8, the ends of which are curvedto bring them in proper position below the rear shaft 9 of a vehicle, asshown in Fig. 1. Each of the ends of such cross-bar 8 is provided with astrap 10 and buckle 11, by means of which the said crossbar 8 issecurely fastened to the rear shaft of the vehicle. The inner portionsof the straps 10 are provided with a piece of felt 12 or other softmaterial, which prevents any marring of the surface of the vehicle-shaft9.

13 is a coil-spring which is hooked onto the steering-head 15 of thebicycle and has at tached to it a rope or other flexible connection 14,which is secured to the cross-bar 8 on each side of the stem 7 and atsuitable distances from said stem. This flexible or yielding connectionbetween the steering-head of the bicycle and the cross-bar 8 of theattachment permits of a suitable yielding of the connection under thevibrations that are imparted to the bicycle-frame while it is being ledin the rear of a vehicle. The fork 4L maintains the front or steeringwheel of the bicycle in an upright position in. turning corners, as wellas when traveling in a straight direction. In turning corners theyielding or flexible connections l3 and 14: allow the frame of thebicycle to change position and maintain said frame in an uprightposition at the same time. TVhen the vehicle is delivered, the attendantdetaches the bicycle and elevates the attachment on the pivots 3 to aposition parallel with the handlebars of the bicycle to which saidattachment may be secured out of the way of the rider of the bicycle.

Having described ourinvention, we claim-- 1. An attachment for leadingbicycles in the rear of a vehicle, consisting of a fork, and across-bar, the former being adapted to be attached to the steering-forkof a bicycle on each side of the front wheel, the cross-bar havingoutwardly-curved ends adapted to be secured to the rear shaft of aVehicle and a flexible connection between the steering-head of thebicycle, and said cross-bar, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an attachment for leading a bicycle in the rear of a vehicle, thecombination with the front forks of a bicycle, of a fork inclosing thefront wheel of the bicycle, the said fork being attachable to the frontfork of a bicycle on both sides of the steering-wheel, an extension 7, across-bar 8 to which said extension is attached, the said cross-barhaving

